Premier Danny Williams today announced that a
new television series will be filmed in the province this year. Life with
Derek is a 13-episode series targeted towards teenage audiences to be
produced for the Family Channel. The Premier made the announcement at the
Atlantic Studios Cooperative Sound Stage in Corner Brook, the location of
filming for the series. He was joined by Paul Shelley, Minister of Tourism,
Culture and Recreation, and Norm Whalen, Chair of the Newfoundland and
Labrador Film Development Corporation (NLFDC), along with Leo Furey,
Executive Director of the NLFDC and Paul Pope, Pope Productions.

"Creative and culture industries are key
to the diversification and expansion of the province’s economic base, and
I am pleased to be here in Corner Brook for this exciting
announcement," said Premier Williams. "I have always been a great
supporter of the growing film industry in this province and know first-hand
its incredible potential, having served as the former chair of the board of
directors for the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation.
The filming of Life withDerek will not only result in
economic return to the region but this project represents the first step to
building the film industry on the west coast. In the long term, this project
and the utilization of the new sound stage will enhance the province’s
ability to attract other major productions to the province. In addition to
our annual funding to the NLFDC through the Equity Investment Program, our
investment of $500,000 specifically to this project will certainly reap
tremendous benefits for the economy and people of Newfoundland and
Labrador."

Life with Derek
will be produced by Shaftesbury Films of Ontario and Pope Productions of
Newfoundland and Labrador. Pope Productions is a locally-owned television
and independent film house, whose productions include the feature film Rare
Birds and the television series, Going the Distance. Set
construction for Life with Derek will begin in late August, with
filming to take place at the Atlantic Studios Cooperative Sound Stage in
Corner Brook.

Minister Shelley said that the film industry
in the province has continued to grow in recent years, particularly through
the efforts of the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation.
"Since its inception, the NLFDC has been successful in developing and
attracting over 90 film industry projects, including feature films The
Shipping News, Rare Birds and the television series Random
Passage, generating approximately $53 million in local production
activity. The film and television industry also provides intangible benefits
to the province, including a sense of provincial pride and an increased
level of awareness of Newfoundland and Labrador as a tourism
destination."

The Newfoundland and Labrador Film
Development Corporation has committed approximately $1 million to the
project through its Film Equity Program. Total production costs are
estimated at $5.265 million.

"Our financial contribution to this
project has leveraged significant outside investment and will result in
increased opportunity for the province and the film industry. In fact, a
detailed economic assessment of the industry has indicated that the payoff
in GDP to the province from its film incentive program is in the range of
$3.65 for each $1 spent," said Mr. Whalen. "Over 60 jobs will be
created in a three-month period in the Corner Brook area with as many as
half of the jobs going to local residents. Life with Derek also
represents the first project to be filmed in the Atlantic Studios
Cooperative, which we anticipate will result in increased potential for the
industry. This project will also further develop the human and physical
infrastructure in the province, particularly the West Coast, and enables the
NLFDC to attract productions throughout the province."

The Newfoundland and Labrador Film
Development Corporation was established in 1997 and is mandated to promote
the development of the indigenous film and video industry in the province,
as well as to promote the province in national and international film and
video markets as a location for film, television, and commercial
productions.

Local casting calls for Life with Derek
will take place in the coming weeks. For more information, visit Pope
Productions Web site at www.popeproductions.com.

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